Flamingo Gardens hosts Comics, Gaming and Anime Show

A wildlife sanctuary and botanical gardens wouldn't usually be considered a hot spot for costumed Marvel Comics superheroes or classic Nintendo characters.

It was for two days, however, during the recent Comics, Gaming and Anime Show at Flamingo Gardens. It was the Davie attraction's first foray into such a gathering. When CGA Shows approached them with the idea of providing venue space, staff didn't know what to expect, but special events coordinator Cori Glick said it was a success.

"We've had a great response," she said. "It's better than we expected with it being summer and people walking around in costumes outside in the heat. We weren't sure how it was going to be received, but it's been very well received."

"This is definitely the most interesting of venues for a CGA show," he said. "I'm surprised at the amount of people that just come here. Seeing the little kids in costumes, it's just amazing."

Serge Barrs enjoys dressing up as Deadpool. The Hollywood resident has been to a handful of conventions, and it was his first time at Flamingo Gardens.

"I like the outdoors aspect since it's a nice day," he said. "It's better for photography, and there are activities outside other than just being shops and things like that. I like the social aspect of these events, too. You are getting to meet new friends who have like interests."

Jillian Nadeau came dressed as Link from "The Legend of Zelda" with her mother, Terry. Having people asking to take a picture with her or of her took some getting used to, as it was her first convention. Mom put together most of the costume, which was originally done for last Halloween. Nadeau is no stranger to playing characters, as she often attends hockey games in a chicken costume.

"It's a lot different than anime conventions I've seen in videos, but this one is unique and with animals," she said. "Being outdoors, it's spacious and nice, even though I'm sweating."

Her mom said she likes to get her out to do new things.

"These sorts of things encourage people's imaginations to get out there and do something unusual," she said. "Maybe if they come to these places, they can imagine their own character or complete series of characters. I think it's really neat and they're imaginative."